The Bad Boy Next Room (Charlie and Taylor) novel Chapter 27

“Hey, Charlie,” Taylor called, opening Charlie’s bedroom door without knocking.

“I’m studying. I have a quiz tomorrow,” Charlie said without looking at him. She remained seated before her study table. “I already chopped the garlic and onions as you had instructed. Then, I have thawed the ground beef.”

“Yes, I saw them. Your onions and garlic are very inconsistent in size,” Taylor answered.

That finally got Charlie’s attention. She turned to him and said, “Does that even matter?”

“It matters,” Taylor answered. “The rate of cooking and release of flavor becomes inconsistent.”

“I’ll remember that,” Charlie grinned at him and returned to studying.

Taylor only shook his head. He was about to close the door when he said, “You left a scrunchie in the bathroom. Can I use it?”

‘Scrunchie?’ Charlie did not remember leaving a scrunchie. Still, she replied without looking, “Sure, go ahead. You can have the scrunchie.”

An hour and a half later, Charlie could already smell the sweet scent of spaghetti sauce. Her stomach instantly growled. She happily went to the kitchen and offered to set the table.

Because Charlie was already so hungry, she went straight to eating. It wasn’t until she had finished half of her food that she studied Taylor intently, his hair up in a man bun using a red and lacy scrunchie?

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds passed, and Charlie leaned back. She screamed, “Taylor! That’s not a scrunchie!”

Taylor stopped eating. He frowned and replied, “What? It’s not a scrunchie?”

Charlie was amazed at Taylor’s acting. There was no hint of mischief on his face. ‘Does he really not know what it is?’

“What do you mean, Charlie? It fits the description of a good scrunchie. It’s elastic.” Taylor began describing it with his fingers. “It’s a stretchy fabric, and it’s stylish.”

Instantly, Charlie’s face reddened. She got up and walked to Taylor, only for him to stand up, saying, “What are you doing?”

“It’s mine!” Charlie declared.

“Well, it’s mine now. It’s a perfect, premium, and durable scrunchie.” Taylor said before smirking.

“That makes you look like a perv,” Charlie pointed out angrily, completely forgetting about dinner.

“You have a dirty mind. I’m only using this as a scrunchie, and I’m not giving it back. I wouldn’t recommend you wearing it. This barely qualifies as underwear,” Taylor declared. “What makes this any different from dental floss? I’ve seen more coverage on a pirate’s eye patch.”

“Women wear thongs to avoid visible panty lines, especially when wearing leggings and tight skirts,” Charlie explained.

“Right, because seeing visible panty lines is so shocking, the world would simply crumble,” Taylor remarked. “No, as your pretend boyfriend, I won’t allow you to let people think you aren’t wearing any underwear. And this one is as good as nothing. Besides, you never wear skirts!”

No matter what Charlie did, she could not get the thong from Taylor. They argued and wrestled, but Charlie was no match for Taylor’s strength and height. Ultimately, she gave up and said, “I get it; you want to wear the thong!”

Taylor laughed. He stared at the thong again, and with a look of disapproval, he said, “Wear this? Nah, there is too much ventilation.”

Charlie, “...”

“Ahh! You know what? I need to study. Go ahead. You can keep the thong!” Charlie grabbed her plate of spaghetti, turned to Taylor one last time, and then gave him the finger.